1. For lard pie pastry, mix the flour and salt in a bowl and cut in the lard with a pastry blender. Combine lightly just until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal; the texture will not be uniform but will contain crumbs and bits and pieces. Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time, and mix lightly with a fork, using only enough water so that the pastry holds together when pressed lightly into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pastry 1/3-inch thick and fit into a 14-inch round baking sheet.

3. For filling, heat the preserve in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and force through a sieve with the back of a spoon. Brush the pastry with 1/2 the preserve and arrange the sliced apples on top.

4. Bake until nicely brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining preserve. Sprinkle with confectioner`s sugar, then place under the broiler just long enough to glaze the top. Watch carefully so that the top does not burn.

1. Mix egg yolks, sugar and salt in a heavy, 3-quart, enameled cast-iron saucepan or the top of a double boiler. Beat together with a wire whisk, rotary or electric beater or wooden spatula until well mixed, pale and creamy. Meanwhile, in another pan heat the milk until little bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickens sufficiently to coat lightly a wooden spatula or spoon. Remove from the heat and cool.

2. Stir in cream and vanilla or seeds scraped from the vanilla bean. Freeze as for basic vanilla ice cream in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer`s directions.